A team co-ordinated by Scotland Yard, established to plot Bromwich's activities over the past eight years, has been approached by five forces with six unsolved cases. They want to establish whether he could have been involved.

The offences include four murders, including the killing of Amanda "Milly" Dowler, 13, who was abducted in Surrey in March last year. There are also two rapes.

Bromwich, also known as Tony King, will appear in court in Spain, where he has been arrested for the murder of two teenagers. He is being investigated for other attacks.

He fled to Spain in 1997 when he was identified on a BBC Crimewatch programme as being wanted in connection with an indecent assault in Leatherhead, Surrey, but it is known that he returned to Britain for visits.